Take Me Away
by x-menobsessed26
Summary: After a showdown that shatters two hearts, those same two just might find comfort in each other. ON HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to another of my so called "crazy pairing" X-men stories, as once positively called by a reader to one of my fics. Anyone who knows me knows I strive for these types of fics. This is my first shot in the X-men: The Movie category. **

**Please let me know at the end of this chapter what you think of it, what you think will happen in future chapters, and anything else you may have to say, including suggestions for other pairings you may like to see done that haven't been done justice in your opinon. **

**I always take suggestions. My list of pairings to do, just in X-men: Evolution, is sky high in the 30's. I promise I will put your suggestion on that list even if I'm not a fan of the pairing. It allows me to service the needs of those who would like to see certain things done.**

**Anyway, enough of the rambling that you're probably not going to read. Onto the story!**

Jean had been taken aback the day she had heard what Charles was suggesting. She knew he didn't mean any harm to anyone, but it was a pretty crazy idea, even if good in prospect.

Jean was standing in the control room of the Danger Room with a bunch of the women of X. Marie and Kitty were talking about the latest teen gossip in the mansion and trying not to look nervous over the idea of what was about to happen. Jubilee was listening to the conversation, waiting for the right time to join in the coversation. Ororo was talking with a new guest X-member who was thinking of joining: Elizabeth Braddock.

Elizabeth was a very rich young woman from England, who just happened to be dating a rich young man: Warren Worthington III. She was a mutant though with unique telepathic abilities, her trademark being a psychic knife she could create. It looked like a knife coming off the knuckles of her closed fist. If she hits somebody with it, she could knock them out or kill them if she wanted to.

The test was unusual. It was taking place in the Danger Room as normal, but the girls weren't the only ones involved in this. In fact, they weren't the ones actually being tested. Charles had told Jean, and only Jean, what was going to happen. You didn't have to be a genius to know why.

The boys were definitely not supposed to know as they were the test targets. The boys' team consisted of Scott, Logan, Warren, Bobby, Peter, and a new boy student by the name of Samuel Guthrie. He was a blond southern hottie with a lot of spunk.

The test was to send them all in at once, but the boys would be at one end, the girls at the other. The girls would be quickly overpowered, and this was part of the plan. Jean had been told so she 1.) wouldn't use her powers to try and stop it from happening, as she could stop it with a wave of her hand after gaining a massive power increase after surviving Alkali lake and 2.) might actually help with the girls' loss.

After the girls were to lose, the boys would obviously come to help. Now at this point in the situation, the girls would all be separated and incapacitated. The theory is that with the girls in danger, the boys would go to save the girls they want most to be saved. Jean thought this exercise was kind of pointless, but Charles was adament that they do it, saying that it would show those who don't know what was really going on.

Jean could already predict what was going to happen. Scott would save her, Logan - Ororo, Rogue - Bobby, Kitty - Piotr, Jubilee - Sam, and Elizabeth - Warren. Really, Jean thought everyone knew this.

Charles sent her a little telepathic warning, telling her they were about to start. Jean looked at the other girls, "Get into position. We're about to start."

They obeyed without question, as grilled into them from being a X-man (or maybe just because they were scared to death of her boyfriend, the leader). All too soon, the familiar blare sounded telling them to begin. The girls ran out, unknown to all but one of them what was about to happen.

Ororo and Jean took to the air, while Rogue, Kitty, and Elizabeth stuck to the ground, as they had no way of getting into the air. The most difficult part of this task would be helping Charles make the girls lose while trying to help them escape their peril. Jean decided to deal with the Rogue first.

Jean lept in front of a giant club swinging down, though not too noticeably. She heard Ororo scream a warning at her that her heart clenched to have to pretend not to hear. It hit her down into the Rogue, making sure skin was exposed enough for a good, long touch to proceed.

Jean barely felt it, thank God for that power increase. Rogue's sleeve got ripped off in the fray. The force of the hit also hit her into Kitty and Elizabeth. The both were smart enough to break contact before it could do any real damage, though it did weaken them. Rogue was passed out on the floor, clutching her head. 1 down, 3 to go.

Kitty had her back to what she thought was Elizabeth. Elizabeth had actually left Kitty unprotected, which would result in a good tongue-lashing later from Charles, Jean was sure. Kitty was done phasing for the moment, as being in an already weary state, having to stay whole was hard. Her natural state was actually her phased state. She had to work hard to stay herself.

Jean looked up at Ororo and saw and opportunity. She used her telekinesis to make a box of metal, making sure she was preoccupied at the moment so as to have a reason not to respond to Ororo's frantic cries for help and enclosed it around her friend. In doing so, as it was a metal box, a lightning bolt hit the edge, bounced off, and hit Kitty square in the back. 3 down, 1 to go.

Elizabeth was going to be a little more difficult. She had had ninja training, so she knew how to keep herself hidden and move with practiced skill and grace. Jean was going to have a hell of a time finding her.

_Go! Get yourself overpowered! I'll take care of Elizabeth!_ Charles sent Jean telepathically.

She was happy to comply. A huge metal ball came spining out and Jean pretended not to see it, but did use her telekinesis to slow it down a bit. It would have killed her if it had hit her in the head at full speed. Instead, it hit her with enough force to knock her out cold. It didn't though, because she needed to stay awake. She needed to see the action. Just as he said he would, Jean soon heard a defeated cry from Elizabeth.

After a bit, feeling both like hours and seconds, Jean heard the grunts and groans of who must be the guys. She felt her body being held in electrified tendrils with needle sharp spurs on them as well. She knew not to struggle, from years of seeing them. By the sounds of things, Elizabeth and Rogue didn't. Kitty and Ororo must both have been trapped in boxes, as she could hear pounding on metal.

Jean had that weird feeling like something, not someone, was looking at her. She was sure it was a few of Charles' drones he liked to make of their enemies. Some were original creations, but there were usually some of Magneto, Mystique, and now, she gulped, John who only responded to Pyro. Her eyes flew open, partly for theatrics, but also because she liked to see what was happening around her.

It was chaos.

There would be no better word to describe what was happening. Logan had gone completely feral, destroying everything in his path. Scott was clearly pissed off, but it wasn't clear what he was aiming at, as he was hitting pretty much anything. He looked rather distracted. Warren was trying his hardest to stay in the air, but with Charles messing with the air pressure, Jean was shocked he wasn't clutching his head, writhing on the floor in pain. Bobby and Sam were fighting back to back, both extremely angry, both losing bad. Piotr was stuck, pressed between two large forces, bringing a whole new meaning to the words 'stuck between a rock and a hard place'.

Jean was finding it hard to focus. She didn't like to see those she loved in pain. Seeing her fellow Women of X screaming in terror (Ororo) and pain (everyone) was just too much for her. Many more than a few people have told Jean that she was far too kind. This was the first time in her entire life she had felt the part. Kindness was what had led her to put her own life on the line in the fight for mutant rights. Kindness was what had led her to finally "work in the field". Kindness was what had led her to become a doctor. Kindness had shaped her life in so many good ways, life was certain to eventually balance itself out and add more bad. If this was it, she hated life.

Then all of the lights in the Danger Room went out. Jean didn't remember this part of the plan. Her telepathic link with the Professor was being blocked, probably by him. She was sure she could try to engage a telepathic battle, but what would be the point? She would still be in danger. Damn that man if he wasn't full of surprises.

When the lights came back on, Jean found herself and all of the other girls lying in a circle around the boys. They were spaced far apart from each other. All of the boys were in a small circle, back to back, in the center of the one created by the girls. It was clear all of the girls were tired and worn. They wouldn't be fighting.

Suddenly, a bunch of spinning sharp ninja stars came out aimed right for each of the girls. Jean was so shocked and scared she forgot to put up a shield. All of the other girls must have been in her same predicament as their expressions told her.

Grunts and shouts from the boys sounded as they jumped hopelessly toward the girl they most wanted to protect. Just as a few of the ninja stars would have punctured the delicate skin of Jean's face, they dissolved.

A hologram.

Looking around, the scene told Jean that the Professor had accomplished exactly what he had set out to. Loves had been revealed. As Jean was helped to her feet, her heart broke in two. Just then, all of the truth she had been ignoring, all of the blindness love had provided her, was shown.

The man she loved hadn't saved her.

No, she now knew what had happened. All of this time, Scott had been harboring an infatuation turned love with Elizabeth Braddock, his best friend's girlfriend. She had seen the signs, but had chosen to ignore it. Jean had seen the betrayal, seen what was there, but she had ignored it for fear of what was right in front of her this very moment.

Warren was the one who had helped her to her feet. Jean knew he didn't love her, not like he had Elizabeth. This was as much of a surprise and heartbreak to him as it was to her, if his tear filled eyes and dropped jaw were any indication.

Scott and Elizabeth were standing together in an embrace that was extremely obvious and revealing to anyone who could see them. When the real danger had been unleashed, Scott must have immediately looked to his true love, Elizabeth, to see if she was okay. When it was clear she wouldn't be, he lept into action and toward her. Warren, who was going to save Elizabeth, had seen Scott running toward her, but didn't immediately register what that had meant. He had seen Jean open and exposed to the danger, and even though it was hopeless, he had ignored his girlfriend who was already being saved, and run toward Jean.

Jean made no effort to conceal her tears, but cries and sobs refused to come. That's when she realized she was smiling. It shocked her for only a moment, but only then had she really felt the relief of the secret her heart had been harboring for her lover. Well, who she thought had been her lover.

She and Warren had both been cheated. Ignoring the scene that was the source of her heartbreak, she looked at the rest of the Danger Room, who happened to be looking between the two real lovers, herself, and Warren.

Ororo had a hand to her mouth and tears to her eyes as they darted back between Jean and Scott. It was obvious that this was in sympathy and shared pain for her best friend. Jean's heart smiled and sang with one simple word hanging on her thoughts as she saw what should have been a long time ago. Logan had jumped for Ororo, and was now standing by her side, unable to take this pain from her.

Bobby and Rogue were caught in an embrace, but also entranced by the scene of one of their mentors (and a personal idol of Bobby's) caught in one of the worst acts in their minds. Cheating. Jean knew at this moment Bobby and Rogue would take this new development extremely personal, and a lot of respect had just been lost on just their side. As hard as it was for the two of them to be together, cheating was always the last thing on their minds at the end of the day.

Piotr and Kitty were also embracing, but it was different. Piotr was comforting Kitty as she cried into his chest. Kitty's favorite teacher had always been Jean, that was no secret, and to see this happening to someone who had been a mother, sister, teacher, and best friend to her was more than she could take at the moment.

Sam and Jubilee obviously knew what was wrong, and that it _was_ wrong, but they, for the most part, just looked lost. Neither wanted to get involved in a fight this close to home.

Scott and Elizabeth eventually came back to the real world, with every eye in the room, and beyond, watching them. Scott looked guilty beyond all reason while Elizabeth just looked impassive. Elizabeth was showing her true colors as someone who had cared for Warren as a friend, if that, and nothing more. Scott was all she needed. Scott looked like he wanted to come and comfort Jean, explain something, but he didn't want to let go of his purple haired beauty.

Jean just smiled even bigger and shook her head as more tears fell down her rosy cheeks. She then turned and walked out the doors of the Danger Room with not a word being said to her or her to anyone else, but everyone's eyes following. The students watching from the spectators position along with Sam, Jubilee, and Elizabeth were waiting for a scene. The rest knew one would never come from her. Jean wasn't that type of woman.

Everything that had happened over the past few weeks was beginning to make sense. All this time, Charles had been trying to warn her, to get her to open her eyes. Something must have snapped and he called this test, so as to finally force their hand. Jean knew Charles well enough to know that this couldn't be easy on the man, but she also knew him enough to know that he had felt it necessary.

Jean felt no pity for herself. She had known what was happening. She could have opened her eyes, but she had refused. The only person she felt sorry for was Warren, and she prayed that this wouldn't hit him as hard as people thought it was hitting her.

His icy blue eyes had looked absolutely shattered. Jean knew Warren well enough to know he wouldn't cause a scene there for everyone to see, but Lord only knows what he would do when it was just him and Scott and/or Elizabeth. Jean hoped he wouldn't do something stupid when he was alone. That violet haired woman didn't deserve him anyway.

After all, no one deserves an angel.

**Review please! Next chapter will be up soon, but I can't tell you for sure.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize for some of the spelling errors, one in particular, that I noticed in my re-reading. I should have caught them.**

**I would also like to point out ahead of time that most, if not all, of the physical features described are going to be taken from the comics, not the movies. I don't know the actors and actresses well enough to write this without looking back and forth between websites for sixteen hours.**

**I appreciate the review and will try to get chapters up as fast as I can, but I make no promises. Thank you.**

Jean sat on the edge of the bed Scott and her had shared, waiting for the sobs that had postponed themselves within her chest to come forth, but still they refused. She could feel them, lodged inside of her like a cold, hard bubble that refused to pop. Still, the tears ran down her face in warm streams, refusing to stop as much as actual crying refused to start.

A knock at the door didn't startle her nearly as much as it should have, though the person who stepped in the room preceeding the knock did.

Scott walked through the door looking more guilty than any person she had ever seen look before. They just looked at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity before Scott asked, "Are you okay?"

Jean found herself unable to glare, but the tone of her voice did more than her green eyes could have hoped for, "I just realized that my boyfriend was cheating on me all this time with his best friend's girlfriend. Do you really believe I'm okay?"

"I-I-I" Scott looked away from her. "I'm sorry, Jean. I just...I..."

"I get it. I just wish you would have broken up with me first. I wish you would have told Warren, maybe even before you told me," Jean told Scott. "Do you have any idea how much this might have hurt him? Do you know how long he's been looking for someone who didn't want just his money or his looks and who would sympathize with a mutant? He thought he had found that in Elizabeth."

If it was possible, he looked even more guilty. In a whisper carried to her by the wind, she heard him say, "I'm sorry."

"Can you please just leave me alone for a while? I'd like to pack in peace."

His eyes widened, "Pack? What for?"

Jean laughed, but it only made the both of them cringe, "I can't exactly stay here anymore. Seeing you and Elizabeth everyday...I can't do it. I'm going to leave. Get more involved in my mutant rights fight."

Scott walked out without a word, guilt now removed from his face by the invasion of pure shock. Jean wasn't going to waste any more time. She wiped the remaining tears off her face, pulled a bunch of boxes out of the closet she thanked God she had convinced Scott to save, and began to pack up every possesion she held dear. Her heart clenched as she packed away clothes, pictures, trophies, and other treasures she had collected over the years.

After those boxes were all packed, she looked back at the bedroom countless memories had been made in. Her side was empty save for the boxes now floating telekintetically in the air. Scott's side was his typical immaculately clean, but it still looked lived in. The room was split in half from her just emptied side, which would probably become Elizabeth's new quarters, and Scott's. She turned around and refused to look back at the chain of boxes following her out the door.

Jean walked down to her office, shocked that no students had been in the halls whispering, but they were probably too smart for it. She didn't know what had happened in that Danger Room after she had left, and she didn't wish to ever find out. She telekinetically picked up all of her papers, carefully filing them away in boxes along with her books and other typical office knick-knacks and photos. After her office, she did the same in the infirmary, clearing out everything that was hers.

Her last stop was to the Professor's office. Even before she walked through the doors, she knew he was waiting for her with Ororo, Logan, Kitty, Piotr, Bobby, and Marie. When she walked in, it was clear everyone knew what was happening.

She walked forward in silence toward the desk of her surrogate father, mentor, and friend with all of the eyes in the room fixed on her. Jean held out her had to his open palm and dropped a keychain into it, which contained her room, office, and locker keys.

Charles wheeled around the desk to face his first and personal favorite student to regard her with a look of complete seriousness and respect, "You're not staying."

"I can't. Not anymore. The only reasons I was still here were for Scott and the students. Right now, the students aren't enough for me to stay."

He nodded, "Good luck."

"If you," she paused to look around the room at every person present. "any of you, ever need anything, don't be too shy to call."

Jean had heard that good-byes were difficult, but she had always dismissed the notion. After the good-byes she was about to give, she would have to agree with the rest of the world. She decided to start with her best friend, practically her sister, knowing that Charles didn't want a lengthy good-bye.

If someone were to look at the two of them, they would immediately think, as many had before, that they could never be friends. They would be wrong, very wrong. Within hours of meeting each other, the two teens had become closer than sisters and nearly inseparable. If that same person who had seen them then were to see them now, nothing else would have changed. Jean knew that her leaving the Institute changed nothing for their friendship as it would have for so many others.

Jean hugged Ororo as tightly as she would have her sister Sarah, had she not been killed with her husband and two children in a car crash three years prior, "You better keep in touch, you hear me?"

Ororo nodded and Jean knew she didn't trust her voice. When Jean pulled back, she could already see fat tears falling from the Kenyan's blue eyes. She hated hurting her friend and realized something she needed to do, "I'm sorry for trapping you in that box."

Her jaw dropped and Logan laughed from behind the black woman, winking at Jean. She smiled back.

Jean barely had enough time to turn around before Kitty threw herself into the older woman's arms, nearly crushing her in a grip no one would have thought a girl as petite as Kitty could have had. Kitty started sobbing into her chest and clearly, this time, Jean was playing the mother figure. She ran a hand over the brown hair and whispered calmly into Kitty's ear that everything would be alright and nothing is changing. When the young woman finally calmed her sobs to cries and cries to whimpering hiccups, she looked up at the redhead with hazel eyes pleading with all their might for her not to go.

"I have to go, but once I find a place to stay, you'll be the first one who knows where it is, alright?" Jean said with a genuine smile. Kitty couldn't smile back. Only try to hold another sob in.

Jean's heart nearly broke again seeing her favorite student in this mess. Everyone always says that teachers aren't supposed to play favorites, but anyone who's ever been in that position knows it's a lost cause to add that regulation to the handbooks. Kitty had always been a favorite of hers, though Bobby was close, later joined by Marie and Piotr. They all had a passion for learning, and a determination and love for helping others that mirrored a fraction of Jean's own. That kind of a caring nature was hard to find as it was, let alone in teenagers.

Piotr nodded politely to Jean as he helped his old teacher peel his girlfriend off and held her gently, trying to calm her new wave of cries.

Jean turned to hug Marie, which was a little awkward, but obvious that neither noticed nor cared. Also, neither said anything to the other, both clearly knowing anything they would need to know about what the other would need to know. Jean gave Marie a long look after they parted, green meeting green, with a million messages being sent through the invisible telegraph line.

Jean was the first to look away and met the tear filled eyes of Bobby Drake. Jean had been so worried about Warren, she hadn't thought much about the students. She was used to seeing Kitty cry, as Kitty had come to her with everything and anything, but Bobby Drake showing tears was as rare and heartwrenching as Scott's.

Bobby Drake's idol for years had always been Scott. Finding out what Scott had done and just who Scott really was had taken its toll on everybody. Bobby didn't just lose his idol; he was also losing two teachers who were more like parents. Scott would still be at the Institute, unlike Jean, but from feeling the emotions on Bobby's brainwaves, Jean knew Bobby wouldn't even hardly wish to look at him.

She hugged the teen who cried silently into her shoulder as he hugged her good-bye, "Good-bye Bobby."

"Good-bye Ms. Grey."

Jean laughed and pulled back, putting her hands on his shoulders, "You can call me Jean now, Bobby. Everyone in this room can. Just...don't give any other students that right. They haven't earned it."

"Yes ma'am," Bobby said giving her a mock salute accompanied with a watery smile.

She grabbed the doorknob, the intense want to look back washing over her, but she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to leave. Jean levitated her boxes outside, where the sun was shining bright and warm on a rather cool late spring day. For how she and much of the school was feeling, she wished it was raining.

Jean jumped and hit her head on her car's roof when someone tapped on her shoulder, as she vouched to actually put the boxes inside of the car by hand instead of using her telekinesis. As the spot on her head throbbed with a slice of pain, she cursed herself for that option.

When she turned around, she came face to chest with Warren Worthington III. Looking up, she saw blue eyes, tinted red from recent crying, not-yet-wiped-away tear tracks down his cheeks, and a pain that would kill small children if they got a good look.

"Hey...you okay?" Jean asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head, looking unsteady on his feet, "I-I...I don't trust myself to fly at this point. Could I..."

"catch a ride with me? Sure, hop in," Jean said as false cheer filled her voice, trying to make him happy, though she knew she was failing miserably.

He walked over to the passenger's side, his shoulders sagged and feet dragging behind him. Jean's heart clenched in her chest at his obvious sign of defeat.

She only hoped he wouldn't give up on life.

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

_flashback  
><em>normal

Jean felt awful.

Not just awful. She felt useless, helpless, horrid, terrible, disgraceful, and pretty much every other self-diminishing single word she could possibly think of.

The night Jean had dropped Warren off was one that had changed what she had thought would be her future forever.

_Jean pulled up to the curb in front of the huge Worthington Enterprises building, which also housed the Worthington family and any guests who may present themselves. No one knew exactly what the Worthingtons did by way of business, though it was probably a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Whatever it was, they were doing it well. Exceptionally well by the looks of the building._

_Warren sighed where he sat and undid he seat belt to get out. With his hand on the car's door handle, the young Worthington turned to look at the redhead seated beside him, "You know...you _can_ stay here if you want."_

_"What?" Jean asked, not sure if she heard him right._

_"I've known you for years, Jean. I know you well enough to know that you haven't a clue where you're going to go. You can stay here," Warren shrugged._

_Jean shook her head, "No Warren, I can't. I can't ask that of you."_

_He gave her a sarcastic smile, one of his specialties, "You didn't ask. I told you that you were welcome under the roof of my family. Free room and board."_

_Jean tossed the thought over in her mind for a moment, but settled on declining again. Warren sighed, running a hand through his blond locks, "Jean, come on in. You're not hurting anything, I promise. Just...just stay tonight and make a decision on where you'll live tomorrow."_

_After a long moment, she agreed. Warren smiled genuinely for the first time since he had seen his best friend and girlfriend in love. They both got out of the car, pausing a moment as Jean grabbed a bag she had packed from the backseat, and walked in._

_Jean had been here once before, and while the lobby was still the same, it took her breath away. She had either made no physical indication to her awe or Warren was so traumatized by the days events that he didn't tease her about it, as he would have on any other occasion._

_Her awe only increased as they went past the lobby, which as far as she had gotten before. Warren led her to a private elevator and up to the guest quarters, where she would be the only one staying. From the looks of things, they didn't have many guests stay at the Worthington building._

_She knew that this was only one Worthington building out of five across the country (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Phoenix), but if they were all like this... _

_She couldn't even finish the thought. Living in such luxury was only a dream to mortal minds like hers. It was the life of an angel._

_"Anything you need, dial 9," Warren said, motioning to the phone._

_Jean nodded. She placed her bag in front of her massive bed. Warren grabbed her right wrist, turned her around, and hugged her close to his chest. Jean hugged him back, knowing that both of them needed it. She felt his wings on his back, trapped in an evil harness and behind clothes. She couldn't even imagine what it would mean to him for him to be free._

_Never wanting to leave the quiet, warm safety his arms provided, but knowing she had to, she stepped back and smiled up at him. For the first time in her life, Jean Grey couldn't read what someone was thinking by looking at their face. _This man probably never lost at poker. _Jean thought._

_She had an instant desire to dive into his mind and read exactly what he was thinking, but then he turned on his heel, and walked out. Jean snapped out of that desire the moment he did so, kicking herself mentally for thinking about doing as much to her friend._

* * *

><p><em>Jean woke the next morning, having gotten the best sleep she had ever had. She woke to the sun shining in through the window, curtains not drawn for once (something Scott had never allowed), and being able to gaze at the sky as she fell out of the dreamy haze she was still waking from.<em>

_"Pretty spectacular, huh?" a maid said, poking her head in the door._

_Jean moaned something potentially agreeable and continued to stare as if it was a masterpiece in the Museum of Modern Art._

_The maid carried in a tray with breakfast on it over to a table. She had black hair pulled up into a tight bun, looking to be around her early thirties. Her dark orange uniform brought out the bright blue in her eyes, "My name is Candy. If you need anything, dial 9 and ask for me."_

_"I can promise you I won't need anything."_

_Candy laughed, "Well, in case you do, give me a shout. That's what I've been told I'm here to do."_

_"Do the Worthingtons always have people wait on their guests?"_

_Candy was silent until she got to the door, where she winked over her shoulder at the redhead who was just getting out of bed, "Nope. Only important business associates they're hoping to score a deal with, themselves, and apparently friends from the way you're here."_

_Jean noticed a hole in what she had said, "I know Elizabeth Braddock had lived here after she began dating Warren. Didn't she...?"_

_Candy shook her head, "I guess somewhere in his heart he knew she was bad news. Everyone did, but we were all too nice to tell him. The poor guy was so desperate for someone to love him as much as he could love them. He wanted Ms. Braddock to be it. No, I think he really needed a friend at that point more than a bad girlfriend. You seem to be it."_

_Jean understood completely what she meant, nodding in a way that the woman knew to leave. After a breakfast of food she would swear for weeks was the best she had ever had, probably seeming like that due to the amount of pathetic school food she had been living on at the Institute, she took a quick shower and spent the rest of the day working on research for another appearance in Congress._

_Later that night, after it had already gotten dark and Jean's eyes were straining with pain, her brain either refusing to notice or care, and watering with overuse, Candy came back in, not particularly surprised to see that she had stuck around, "Just the girl I was looking for."_

_Jean doubted that the woman was much older than her, definitely not old enough to be refering to her as a girl, but she still turned around to face her, "Why would that be?"_

_"The older Worthington has sent me to ask if you plan on staying for sometime. He would also like to send a personal plea that you do for his son's sake, and most of the staff here would agree and plea with, mind you."_

_Jean thought about it for only a second before she nodded, "I guess I_ will_ stick around. I kind of enjoy the peace and quiet. But, um, I can't..."_

_Candy shook her head, "No, no. The Second told me to tell you not to worry. If you'll stay around here for his son, there's nothing you need to worry about. He'll take care of payments. Honestly, one more person under his roof shouldn't be too much to deal with for a billionare like him, if I do say so myself."_

_Jean spent the days and weeks following working on putting together presentations for Congress, many of which went alright, but didn't have the desired affect, talking to her old students through many means of communication, and trying to get Warren out the shell he had closed around himself._

Jean Grey felt like a failure. Warren had been stuck in that shell for almost three months now. Three months since the incident at the Institute. Three months of trying to get him to open up. After three months, she was ready to give up.

She had been scared that the senior Worthington would have kicked her out and blamed her for the cocoon of safety Warren had trapped himself in. He didn't.

In fact, Warren Worthington Jr. had sought her out one night to inform her of as much, sure that one of these days his son would wake up, and having her presence around would help. It was even helping him (Warren Worthington Jr.) as it was nice to have a woman in the house again. Ever since Kathryn (his wife) had died, it had put a toll on them all, leaving an empty space surrounding them that Jean was starting to fill by just living there.

After three months, Warren didn't seem any better. If he absolutely had to speak (which was the only time he did as much) it was in a horribly grievous monotone that left anyone that heard it feeling guilty they had made him use the vocal cords the good Lord had bestowed upon him.

Jean was at a party, filled with congressmen, businessmen, and the elite of the elite, feeling completely out of place. She was dressed in a floor-length dark green dress, shimmering with jewels at the neck and bust line in the light, her hair done up in an elegant chignon and she wore a minimal amount of jewelry. Even though she had the appearance of a gorgeous executive, she felt like a swimsuit model.

It would have been nice to have one of her oldest friends to talk to, but he was standing in a corner of the room, a show girlfriend on his arm and almost empty wine glass in his hand. She felt suffocated by the insane amount of kiss-assery in the room. Needing to escape, she settled for the balcony.

The balcony was massively wide, and stretched around three-fourths of the building. The most amazing part was the complete lack of any walls, which she would have suspected for a building that frequently held parties of such aristocratic company. No, instead it was a set of metal bars that were as tall as she. They were done in such a fashion, however, that it lacked the cheap tackiness that seemed to infect everything, leaving it with the same horridly expensive feel as the rest of the structure.

It was an uncommonly clear night for New York, leaving the sky scarce of the usual pollution cloud that hovered over large cities, though light pollution was not an exception, making seeing the stars still impossible. It was still nice to be able to go outside and not have her nose wrinkle in disgust over the overwhelming incense that was car exhaust, factory fumes, and just plain nasty.

**(****Little A.N.! This part was not inspired by the movie 'Titanic'. My beta reader, aka my mother, reminded me that something like this had happened in the movie. I've actually never seen the movie past the first 30 minutes for personal reasons of disgust, so I apologize for this seen being kind of like that. This is my disclaimer.)**

Deciding she wanted to feel more of that air, she decided to play a Titanic and stepped up on the first bar, lifting her a good four inches off the floor, and held on tight. Wanting to feel more, she stepped up another level, being now eight inches from where she started. Not a whole lot in retrospect, but she didn't care. It felt like miles.

A smile started to cross her lips, and she closed her eyes, holding on tighter to counteract the dizziness that swept over her as she did so. Just as she was getting lost in the bliss of it all, she felt strong, warm arms surround her, locking her in place.

Startled she whipped her head around to see Warren's bright blue eyes and perfect blond hair, not to mention a smile she had unknowingly been waiting to see for weeks, "Hey Red. You know, you _can_ go up higher."

She shook her head, both to help her come out of the shock that he was actually engaging in activity and conversation and to imply 'no', "I can't. I'd fall."

He laughed, "I do have wings, you know. I would catch you."

Jean's face must have shown the fear she was feeling, because his face became serious. He spoke in a low voice, "I won't let anything happen to you, Jean. You can go up higher. You won't fall."

Choking on a gulp, she allowed her green stilletos to fall off her feet and step onto the next bar up and the one after that, while Warren climbed up two as well, making sure he was always two below her. She swallowed her nervousness down like a bad medicine and stepped up another two.

Now she was truly scared. She had nothing to hold onto anymore, being she was two feet from the floor she had taken off from, but Warren's grip on her never wavered. He held her in a way that he was holding onto both her and the railing, both with such a strength she knew within her soul she wouldn't be falling.

With her being eight inches taller than she would be on the ground, she was two inches taller than him, but she felt so much smaller under his gaze. His bright blue orbs had turned so dark they were midnight blue. She couldn't help but laugh a little.

He smiled at her, "What?"

"Your eyes," she said, looking into their depths like she could drown in them as if they were the deepest ocean. "They're my favorite color."

"Blue?"

She shook her head, "Not just blue. Midnight blue. It's...I don't know if you have the clearance to hear the story," she admitted to herself.

He gripped her tighter, though she wasn't sure why that small motion had such a huge impact on her heartrate, "No worries. You can always tell me another time, in a more appropriate place."

She smiled back out at the skyline, and they stayed like that for a while before Warren spoke again, "Jean...close your eyes."

"What?"

"You heard me," she did. "Good. Now, open your arms wide, like you're flying."

She hesitated. Was he trying to kill her? Jean Grey, though she would never admit it to a soul that walked this Earth, was deathly afraid of heights, and had many a nightmare about falling to her death, sometimes from skyscrapers just like this one.

Warren leaned a little closer to her, so his lips brushed the edge of her left ear, as light as a feather and spoke in a voice equally as soft, "Trust me."

Complying with his request, she slowly and rather shakily spread her arms out. When at last she had spread them as wide as she possibly could, she couldn't help the wide smile that fell across her glossed lips, and a while after that, the laugh that rose to her throat.

She was in heaven and he was her angel.

Not knowing why, a song crossed her mind at that moment. 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now' by Celine Dion was running through her mind. She knew that from now on whenever she heard that song, this memory would be forever impressed upon it's lyrics.

Eventually, she began to climb down, which Warren immediately responded to as well. When they got to the bottom, Jean looked up into his eyes. She could feel the smile across her face, and knew she must look like a lunatic. The look on his face softened and he dipped his head. Her body responded in kind, leaning up to his. Their bodies were about to mold together when-

"Warrrrrrennnnnnn! Oh _there_ you are! I've been looking all over for you," the obviously fake blond with an extremely skimpy red dress said as Warren pulled away from her, obviously annoyed. She didn't seem to care as she threw herself into his grasp, forcing the two ex-X-men to back away from each other.

Warren shot Jean a look she once again couldn't read and walked away with his pay-per-lay girlfriend, leaving her thinking, "What just happened?"

**Please review and tell me what you think. Too fast? Too slow? Would you like faster? Slower? Do you even like the idea of Jean and Warren together? Tell me!**

**I'm sorry for the music reference, but I got the entire idea for this story because of that song. That song produced that scene which produced this story. Does that make sense? I thought I should include the inspiration.**

**If you want to leave suggestions for other pairings you think I should do or you would like to see done, please let me know in a review or PM. I'm always open for ideas, and I'll do pretty much anything as long as it isn't slash or femslash. I have nothing against those type of fics, but I don't write that stuff. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not sure whether or not people are reading this story due to the lack of reviews (whether flames or not), alerts, and favorites that usually accompany a story, but I'm going to continue as if someone is. If you happen to be, please make yourself known so I feel as if I'm actually writing this because someone enjoys it. Thank you.**

Jean woke up the next morning, her hair still a little damp from the early morning shower after a late night party which had gone all right in the span of things, despite her troubles at stooping to the level of kiss ass that the rest embodied so well. She found that she wasn't so much focused on the party then what had happened behind the scenes, on a balcony, in open air.

Deciding she needed to talk to him so he couldn't close himself off again, she got out of her pajamas and into a normal pair of jeans and a green tee, an outfit she hadn't been able to wear in a long time with all of her trips to D.C. Candy came in just as Jean was putting her hair in a ponytail, "You probably want to talk to him, yes?"

The redhead shook her head with a smile, "How do you know these things?"

Candy winked in response, "He's on the roof."

Jean shot a grateful smile at her, told Candy her room didn't need to be straightened up today, and practically ran down the hall to the elevator. Since she was allowed to go on every floor except the two reserved for the Worthingtons, she found she was also able to get to the roof.

She shouldn't have really been surprised that he would come up there. Many a day and night they had spent talking on the roof of the Institute when others had been too scared of falling. Jean was scared of heights, but she would have done anything for her friends.

When she got up to the top, she found him almost immediately without having to use her telepathic detection. The roof had walls enclosing it, unlike the balcony which had bars, but they were much shorter, and Warren was standing by one, looking out over the horizon while gripping the wall with a tight that made his knuckles white.

"I thought you might try to find me," she heard him say. There was still a sadness to his voice, one that had been absent last night, but it wasn't the same one he used on everyone else. Whether it was an improvement or he knew she was his friend she couldn't tell, but Jean welcomed it with open arms nonetheless.

"Of course I would," she replied, standing next to him. "You're my friend. How many times did we do this for each other when we were kids?"

"We're not kids anymore."

"But I'm still your friend," Jean pointed out, looking at his face.

Warren sighed with something that wasn't quite anger in his voice, "So what do you want?"

Now Jean could feel herself getting...angry? No, she wasn't mad at him. Frustrated? Yeah, that's more like it, even if not exact, "I want you to talk to me!"

He turned to face her, and the look on his face made him look like an avenging angel sent from heaven. It would have made most people back off, but Jean Grey wasn't most people, and this wasn't an avenging angel. This was her best friend, "What if I don't want to talk to you?"

"You better learn, because neither of us is leaving until you do. I'm letting up on this as quickly as others. I'm not other people. I. Am. Your. _Friend._" Jean said, staring him down with an intensity equal to his.

Warren laughed harshly, turning back to looking out at the horizon, "Yeah, I had one of those. Then he stole my girlfriend behind my back and never thought to tell me he had, the whole time telling me I was like a brother to him."

"Is that was this is?" Jean snapped. "Warren's Self-Pity Party? You're not the only one who was hurt, you know! You didn't just lose a girlfriend and a best friend. I lost my boyfriend since sophomore year. We had been dating for _over __ten years_! So don't you _dare_ insinuate that it's just you who needs to grieve! I spent my grieving time trying to _help _you for three goddamn months, and you act like you've lost everything! You have more than most people could ever dream of, your wings included!"

She stomped off back toward the elevator, personifying the anger people associated with red hair perfectly.

"I'm sorry," she heard the whisper on the wind.

Jean stopped dead in her tracks, waiting a moment for the paralysing shock to wear off before she turned around. She saw Warren facing her, wearing a look of complete and utter guilt with tears down his cheeks, more ready to fall from his eyes. The sight tugged at her heartstrings.

"So am I," she whispered back, tears now filling her eyes for the guilt of yelling at him. Then with a cry, she ran forward and lauched herself into his arms, which he wrapped around her tightly.

She buried her face in his chest, much like he was doing in her hair, and cried for everything lost. After a bit, Jean pulled back a little so she could look up into his face, the face she remembered from her adolescence, needing something sure to hold on to, needing to know he was her friend. He looked down at her, and for the third time, she couldn't read his expression.

He removed a hand from holding her and gripped a lock of her hair, twirling it around in his fingers. She didn't mind. The exact opposite actually. She felt like she couldn't breathe as she watched her hair make it's way around his fingers.

Finally he dropped the lock of hair, allowing it to fall back to it's original proximity, but he didn't lower his hand. Instead, he dipped his head much like he had the night before and cupped her cheek, giving her plenty of time to make her escape. That's when everything clicked into place for her.

Deciding she didn't want to wait for him to notice she wasn't backing away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his head down the rest of the way to press her lips to his. His surprise at her actually doing what he wanted was momentary, as she could feel him choosing not to care.

He pulled her body up against his so they molded together almost as one, and she felt her heart ache, but this time in a good way. In that moment she knew she had fallen in love with him, and he loved her just as much.

Soon their gentle kiss became too small to represent what they felt, so it grew in passion and intensity, to where they were almost like teenagers making out in the closet, fighting for possession of the other's bottom lip and wanting it never to end. Even though they could still breath, it wasn't very easy. They pulled back and gazed at each other, gasping for desperate air, but wanting to continue.

Warren pulled Jean back to his body. As Jean secured her arms around his neck just as his were around her waist and knew this was everything she had ever wanted. They never noticed the dimming light of the day as night fell upon the friends. After a while, they just settled for laying next to each other in silence, just enjoying the presence of someone whom they could love.

Warren sat up, and looked down at Jean with a smile that warmed her heart, "Guess we've surpassed the friend barrier, huh?"

She laughed, sitting up, "I'd say so."

"So where do we go from here?" Warren said, looking a little scared for a moment.

Jean then realized how real rejection was for him. She put a hand on his face which he involuntarily leaned into, "Wherever you want us to go, love."

The largest smile the world had ever seen grew across his face as he help Jean up only to capture her in a passionate kiss again. Jean grabbed his hand within hers and walked over to the elevator. No one had come to check on them while they had been up there all day, but she doubted that they would feel the need to. What's the worst they could have done?

"Oh! You're both alive!" Warren Worthington Jr. said, standing as Jean and Warren entered the dining room.

Murder each other, apparently. Warren looked down at Jean and back at his father, "More now than ever."

It was clear from the look on his face, that he was his father's world, "Would you care to explain or are you two going to stand in the doorway all night?"

And explain they did.

* * *

><p>Jean walked over to the set of picnic tables she had been told they would be seated at. Sure enough, they were there and easy enough to spot.<p>

Kitty was looking around frantically for her, and when she caught Jean's eye she freaked, poking Marie in the side like crazy with a manic grin on her face, obviously saying something like "She's here!" Jean had to laugh at her favorite ex-X-student and her loving manner.

"Hey guys!" Jean greeted, sitting down next to Ororo. They had had to push two picnic tables together to give them all enough room. Bobby and Marie sat side-by-side on the far one across from Piotr and Kitty. Logan had opted to sit across from Ororo so the two almost sisters could sit next to each other.

"What's been up with you guys the last three months?" Jean asked, genuinely interested now that she didn't get to see them everyday, though the recent phone conversations, e-mails, and Skype sometimes it felt like she saw them everyday. Sitting here next to them now, she knew that wasn't the case at all.

The four students exchanged awkward glances so Ororo sighed and turned to her, "The day after you had left, Scott and Elizabeth moved into the same room together. Charles wouldn't have allowed it except for the simple fact they would have ended up sharing the same bed anyway. Better to save on space for new arrivals when they come, you know?"

"The day after?" Jean said, more than a little hurt.

Ororo's expression softened, "Yeah. We all think the only reason they didn't do it the day of was they weren't sure if you two were coming back. By the next day, it finally sunk in that you two weren't."

Jean nodded, "So is there anything else I should know or you guys want to tell me? Free for all!"

Kitty laughed, used to these types of conversations, "Turns out the Prof's actually a pretty good matchmaker. Sam and Jubes have been going out for about a week now."

Now it was Marie's turn to laugh, "After Artie finally got sick of Sam's extremely shy nature when it came towards women and Jubes thinking the man needed to ask the woman. He kind of asked them out for each other. It was quite hilarious to watch."

"I can imagine. Is anyone else playing the role of doctor?"

"Not yet, but Hank swings by every once in a while to try to persuade this one," Bobby said, reaching over and poking Kitty in the shoulder. "to pursue a MD."

Kitty blushed, "I'm just...not that interested anymore."

Jean creased her eyebrows in suspicion, "Since when? You always seemed interested when I was teaching you."

The young brunette blushed and averted her eyes, "That's just it though. It's...not the same without you teaching me."

"If it's still something you want to pursue, we can figure something out," Jean assured the young woman. "Anything else?"

Kitty shifted uncomfortably and Bobby fiddled with his fingernails. Logan coughed while Ororo, Marie, and Piotr looked at the other two students in concern.

"What? What's the problem?" Jean asked.

Kitty's eyes filled with tears and she turned to Jean, "Oh, we didn't want to tell you, but I feel like I have to. It's going to eat away at me if I don't. Besides, I always sucked at keeping things from you."

"So what's the problem?"

Bobby sighed and looked at Jean, "Kitty's parents and my own have disowned us. The growing mutant hysteria has them scared. Honestly, I surprised it took mine this long after that incident before Alkali lake, but Kitty's..."

"That's awful," Jean said, standing to walk over to where Kitty was seated as the young girl tried not to cry. "You're guardians are the school now, yes?"

Ororo shook her head, "Unfortuantely, the government has postponed our rights to become guardians as of yet. We don't know for how long, and until then they're going to have to leave."

Kitty started crying, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to cry. I probably seem like such a crybaby now, because I always seem to when you're around, but I just don't want to leave."

"You won't have to," Jean said firmly. "Not for long if you agree to it, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Bobby piped up, as everyone was extremely curious.

"They may have suspended the adoption rights of the school and everyone living there, but I don't live there anymore," Jean smiled. "I could adopt the both of you. You're both sixteen, so that would only leave you in my custody for a couple more years. Besides, I promise Scott and Elizabeth will be wanting to be listed as your guardians to try and get you on their side after they remove the suspension."

Kitty and Bobby both beamed, nodding their heads in agreement. Jean turned to Ororo, "Do you think you can round up some of those adoption papers that we have lying around the school?"

"I think I can manage that."

"Good," the redhead took her seat once again.

Logan looked at her through his brown eyes, "You asked what's happened at the school, so you have to provide as well. What have you been up to?"

Jean sighed, though a smile was still plastered on her face, "Well, I've got a place. I've had it for a while, but I was kind of busy and wasn't sure if I was going to be leaving or not. At the moment, it looks pretty permanent."

"Where?" Marie asked.

"The Worthington Building downtown."

"Warren's helping you?" Piotr asked, finally coming into the conversation after he had been quiet until now.

"In a manner of speaking. We've gotten pretty close," Jean said, avoiding Ororo's gaze.

Silence fell over the table for a moment as the rest expected her to keep speaking, and Jean was waiting for-

"NO WAY!" Ororo screamed, looking extremely excited, making all who were present save for Jean jump. Jean laughed, used to Ororo's antics by now.

"No way what?" Jean teased.

"Are you seriously going out?" Ororo beamed.

Jean nodded, while the others looked confused. For their benefit she decided to explain.

It took quite a bit of time, but by the end Ororo was shaking with excitement and the rest were all truly smiling, "So you don't think it's weird that we're dating?"

No's sounded off from around the table with a few of the speakers sounding offended that she would think such a thing, "That's good. I was rather scared that you would think I had...no feelings, I guess, for dating this soon."

"This soon?" Ororo said shocked. "Jean, it's been three months and you and Warren have always been extremely close."

"Yeah, um...shoot! Is that the time?" Jean shot up out of her seat. "I've got to get going! Oh God! I'm so late! Bye guys! See you for dinner!"

She ran off to the sounds of their goodbyes feeling an insane amount better after talking to them.

**If you _do_ happen to be reading this, please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to That'sMe for the review last chapter. It made my night. **

**Jean, Kitty, Ororo, and Rogue wear evening gowns in this chapter, pictures of which are on my profile if you wish to get the exact look.**

Jean walked out of the rundown hotel she had been told to meet in. Senator Valerie Cooper of New York had been willing to meet and discuss mutants if it was offsight and nothing was recorded. Of course, Jean had agreed and been very enthusiastic.

It had worked.

At least it seemed to have with Senator Cooper talking the way she was about everything. She had faced her own barriers of prejudice and overcome them, willing to do anything in her power now to make sure mutants didn't suffer the same fate. Jean couldn't have been more pleased.

Now she was on her way back to the Worthington building to get changed for dinner with the others. Warren was going to meet her there.

She got changed into a dark teal evening gown that made a beautiful contrast with her red hair and brought out the green even farther in her eyes. She wore no jewelry, delicate heels, no makeup, and left her long hair down, but curled it into delicate waves. Then Jean grabbed her purse and white faux fur coat and left her room.

She got onto the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby, only to notice that the button for one of the Worthington's personal floors was lit. After a moment, the doors opened on the floor and Warren Worthington Jr. nearly walked into Jean.

"I'm sorry, Jean. Please forgive my clumsiness," he said, shaking his head.

Jean laughed good heartedly, "Considering I'm taking up space in your home, I think you have every right to run into me."

He regarded her seriously, "You may have saved very well saved my son's life. I owe you much more than I can ever give."

She shook her head, "You owe me nothing. He saved mine as well."

The doors to the lobby opened, and Jean began to leave when he grabbed her wrist, "Jean...do you love him? I mean, I know you two haven't been together for very long, but...?"

"I love him more than I've ever loved anybody," Jean said, but he still didn't look convinced until she said what she did next. "That means a lot coming from someone who was with the same person for over ten years and found out they were going behind her back the entire time."

He stared at her for another long moment before releasing her as his silent signal of understanding. She walked out to where her car was waiting for her, and drove the entire way it would take her to _Une Cuisine Savoureuse_, which was Charles Xavier's favorite and he had (unknown to Jean and Warren) recommended it to the elder Worthington who had in turn paid for the meals for his newly alive son and his friends.

Walking in, the maître d' knew who she was immediately from Worthington Jr's descriptions, "Right this way Ms. Grey."

She followed and was brought to a table with who she considered her true family minus a few sitting around a table, all looking gorgeously primped up for the occasion, "Hello."

A chorus of 'hi's and 'hello's sounded from around the table. Warren stood and pulled the chair out for her. After she sat, Jean saw she was seated in between Ororo and Warren, much to her delight, "So what have you guys been talking about while I've been gone?"

Kitty smiled up at Jean, though her eyes still looked afraid of mentioning. She no longer looked like the student Jean had left behind wearing a beautiful light blue gown, "Scott and Elizabeth."

"Well, let's not let them dominate the entire conversation, eh?"

The others agreed and they continued talking about various happenings, much as Jean had with them earlier. Jean informed them of her troubles in Congress and her expectation that it would take a catastrophic event to open their eyes to the problem before them.

"Both sides, Congress and the mutant resistance, are pushing back with such a force that we, the neutral peacemakers, are going to be smashed in between. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what kills us all someday," Jean sighed.

Ororo nodded, "I agree. It seems as if neither side will ever let up."

"If they did, wouldn't that give the other side more power," Bobby asked. "When two forces are pushing against each other, the weaker one, the one who lets up in a hope that it will stop, always falls."

"It's true," Jean said. "But if we could make both of them fall at the same time, maybe we could at least have a hope."

"Now how were you planning on doing that, Jeannie?" Logan asked.

She sighed, "I have no idea."

Kitty, Marie, and Bobby laughed. Warren looked at them sharply, "No matter how funny the statement seemed, it's no laughing matter."

"Sometimes laughter can help you survive a fight just as much as skill," Marie pointed out.

Warren looked away, "Quite hard to be happy with certain circumstances pressing down upon you."

"What do you mean?" Piotr asked. "What's happened?"

Warren sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair, "Death threats have been coming in more than ever. We've gotten some before, but that was generally for business and not association."

"Association? Who?" Ororo asked, now concerned.

That's when the lightbulb lit in Jean's mind, "Me. I'm a mutant, ex-X-man, and fighting strongly for the mutant cause. I've gotten so many death threats I don't even register them anymore. I'm so sorry, Warren."

Warren put his left arm across the back of her chair, pulling her slightly toward him, and leaned over to plant a kiss on top of her head, "Don't worry about it, love. You're worth it."

"Do you think anything is going to happen to the two of you?" Kitty asked, worried. "You don't have the same security as the mansion, after all."

"We'll be fine," Jean assured the younger mutant. "Now, let's enjoy the rest of our dinner without any other downing mentions."

The rest of the party couldn't have agreed more.

**Please review if you happen to be reading this. I understand that this chapter was pretty damn boring, but I had to fill in the space and allow for some more character development before the excitement begins.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to That'sMe again for the review. It made my day. I'm having a little bit of trouble coming up with ideas at the moment (probably given the fact I'm sitting in school as I'm writing this), but I'll try to make do.**

Jean and Warren got out of their car and walked into the Worthington building that was beginning to feel like home more and more with each passing day. Warren walked Jean up to her door and bid her goodnight.

"Warren! Wait!" Jean grabbed his arm. "Are you sure you're okay with me living here? I've been getting death threats for so long, they don't faze me, but I don't like hearing about you getting them."

"Don't worry about it Jean. I'll be okay," he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and made to turn around again when he was suddenly stopped by her pressing her perfect lips up against his.

Jean broke the kiss just as fast as it had begun and said, "How can I not worry when the man I love is in danger?"

"It'll be okay. It always is."

As he walked to the elevator, and the doors closed on his form she whispered to empty air, "I hope you're right."

* * *

><p>When she awoke the next morning, it was to Warren pressing a kiss to her left temple, "Good morning, love."<p>

"Good morning," she mumbled, her normal speaking abilities drug down by the remnants of sleep. "What are you doing in here?"

He laughed, "I kind of own the building, doll. I can go wherever I want."

"Not unless you want to be charged with sexual assault and a bunch of other charges, you can't," Jean sat up and crawled into his warm arms. "But seriously, what are you doing in my room in the morning without my permission to enter?"

"Saying goodbye."

Her face must have looked extremely startled for he was quick to backtrack, "No, no, don't worry. I'm not going to leave you unless you leave me first. I'm going away to our building in LA for a while. I should be back within a couple of weeks."

Jean groaned, "I don't want you to go."

Warren's face grew serious, "I don't want to go either, but I have to. We've been having some trouble, and my father is in our building in Phoenix. I'm the only one qualified to go and my father's level of trust for me is much higher than it would be for anybody else."

"Be careful, okay babe?"

"Always," Warren kissed her lips this time. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She got up and showered, knowing he was gone, but not believing it until her empty room showed he wasn't there. Jean sighed and prepared yet another speech before Congress, in the hopes to stall the Mutant Registration Act from making yet another round.

Jean had prepared files after files on mutants who had proven to be good citizens and mutants who had been proven to be bad. The truth of the matter was, according to her statistics, normal humans caused more crime, violence, and terror than mutants did. Forcing them to register when they hadn't done anything wrong in the hopes of keeping them out of trouble seemed redundant to her, other than the simple fact that mutants were generally better citizens when they were in hiding, as not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Forcing them to register could turn that around.

She gave that speech to Congress, and though they heard her, only about half truly listened. Only about a third of the remaining non-listeners would actually look into it, while they hadn't listened to Dr. Grey. Jean felt betrayed by her government. That a government so set on providing happiness and pleasure to the people of America could be so hypocritical as to take away from the happiness of all.

When she arrived back at the Worthington building it was late. Jean walked up to her room without looking at anyone around her, instead staring at the files that hadn't worked the way she had wanted to. As the young woman got ready for bed, she decided she was hungrier than she had thought and resolved for a call to the kitchens below, reserved specially for Worthington guests.

Jean called...no answer. _Maybe no one was near the phone. I'll call again in a half hour. I can wait that long._

Though it was difficult, she waited the half hour and called again. Just like last time, there was no answer. It was highly unusual, and not at all like the usual service she, and the others, received. Jean chose to take a trip downstairs herself. When the elevator doors opened at the lobby, she saw everyone gathered in crowds around where the television sets were.

Confused, but not curious enough to investigate, she set out on her journey for satisfying cuisine. Every television set that had been in the building had people crowded around, all workers, but she couldn't see their faces. With her fatigue, she didn't notice that she couldn't feel their emotions as well as she should have. Eventually, after arriving at the kitchen, she saw the kitchen crew in a group as well and her curiosity grew.

Now scared of what attack may have led to this kind of publicity, her stomach dropped. Thinking an assassination attempt on Charles or the Institute being bombed made her forget all about a quick meal, as she took back off to her room. Her mind was running with the faces of her friends and family, wondering who may have been hurt, compiling a list and checking people off accordingly.

When she arrived back at her floor, the small, stiffled sounds of crying met her ears. Jean increased her pace and opened her doors. Candy was sitting on the foot of Jean's bed, trying hard not to cry and failing miserably.

"Candy!" Jean rushed forward. "What's wrong?"

Candy regarded her with sadness and...pity? "Oh, Jean. Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Know what has happened tonight."

"I saw everybody grouped around tv's downstairs."

Candy brushed her black hair out of her watery blue eyes, "But do you know what happened?"

Jean shook her head, "I haven't had the opportunity yet. Why?"

"Oh Jean!"

Candy collapsed over the redhead and sobbed. Jean rubbed circles in her back and telekinetically brought the remote into her hand. Jean pushed the red power button and would wish continuously for the next hour that she had never pushed it. The television was always turned onto one of the many news channels, but the headlines on all got the point across. They all read things like : Billionaire's Son Severely Injured!; Attempted Murder on Heir to Worthington Throne!; Worthington the Third Critical!.

On and on they went, each word like a dagger to the young woman's nearly healed heart. She knew life wasn't supposed to be fair, but through the last few years, it seemed out to get her more than ever. If the media was right, which at this point, she doubted they weren't, she would need to board a plane to California as soon as she stopped crying.

Warren, her angel, had been attacked, and he may not survive.

**Short, I know, but it was a filler and cliff hanger for what I've decided will be one of the build ups to the main climax of the story. Believe it or no, this is NOT the climax. What do you think? Does anyone have any guesses as to what I'm going to do here. I know, I know I haven't given you any details to go off of, but I'm sure the super X-astute may be able to figure it out.**


	7. Chapter 7

As the warm tears streaked down her face, it seemed her hearing dimmed with her thoughts. Jean was vaguely aware of her cellphone ringing and Candy calling to her, but she couldn't focus. All she could think about was Warren. The harder she focused on him, the farther away from reality she seemed to get. Then it all went black.

"Jean! Jean! Are you alright? Jean!"

Jean knew she was being shaken and, oddly enough, slapped in the face, but couldn't figure out for the life of her why. She opened her eyes and artificial light flooded in, temporarily blinding her with their bright shine.

"Oh, thank God!" Candy screamed in relief, more tears falling from her beautiful eyes. "You scared me! Don't faint on me like that, okay? Not when something like this has happened."

It took her a moment to remember exactly _what_ had happened, and when she did, all she wanted to do was forget, "I need to see him."

Candy just nodded, "I know you do, hon, but can't it at least wait until the morning? Then you can book a flight and-"

"No." Jean replied. "Now."

Candy sighed, "Alright, but you need to call someone back. I don't know who it was, I never got to answer the phone because you fainted, but you can check. I'll go and see about booking you a flight."

"Don't bother," a familiar, new voice piped in.

It was a wonder Jean had recognized the voice at all, due to the brokenness of it. In her, well, really his, doorway was Warren Worthington Jr. He looked shell-shocked and heartbroken, probably mirroring her. Jean cleared her throat, "Hello, Mr. Worthington. Warren said you were in Phoenix."

He nodded, "I was. I was flying back for a quick meeting tomorrow morning when I saw the news."

Then she remembered what he had said, sending feelings of horror throughout the young redhead's body, "What do you mean don't bother? It's still worth going to see him, right?"

"Of course," Warren replied like it was obvious. "But I don't want you to have to book a flight when you can just fly with me. I'm heading there myself. Screw the meetings. This is my son!"

Jean nodded, wiping tears off her face, "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it. Pack your bags and return that phone-call. You can meet me down in the lobby when you're ready to go," he said, turning and walking out, but not without Jean catching a spare tear that had fallen from the poor older man's eye. Jean knew his son was all he had left of his family, and despite their problems in the past, they had grown to be rather close.

Candy took his vacated spot in the doorway, "I guess I'll leave you to return it in privacy. He's okay, Jean. I know he is. He's always been a fighter, and I'm willing to bet my bottom dollar that he fights his way through whatever has him near death."

Offering a watery smile to the friendly brunette, Jean looked down at her phone and saw that it had been the Institute that had called. Thinking that something else could have gone wrong tonight, she quickly hit 'call' and listen anxiously for someone to pick up. Not even a full ring later, Ororo answered in a shaky voice, "Hello?"

"I-It's Jean."

Jean could hear her best friend sigh on the other end of the line, "Thank God you're okay. We didn't know what to think with the news. Where are you?"

"I'm still in New York, but I'm preparing to leave to L.A. as we speak."

There was a rather long pause on the other end of the line as Jean waited for reply while throwing her things in a couple of suitcases at the same time, "Jean...I don't think you should go."

Now Jean paused, both in voice and movement, "What do you mean?"

"I mean...since you both are publically mutants and highly influential, anti-mutant killers are going to be drawn to people like you. If that's what happened with Warren, they could just be waiting for you to show up and take you out with him! I don't want you to get hurt!" Ororo said as her voice rose with each new sentence.

Jean shook her head, "I can't stay here. I don't care about whatever risks there are. I _will_ go and see Warren. I have to!"

Ororo huffed in frustration on the other end, "I've known you long enough to know that there's no point in fighting with you, and I'm not stupid enough to try. I just wish you would listen to me."

"I did listen, and I don't care! I _need_ to see him!" Jean wanted to scream it at her, but it wouldn't be fair. The poor woman would need her ears someday. "After everything that happened with Scott and Betsy...I just can't...I mean, what if...I can't lose him!"

"...be careful, Jean. Promise me that much. You have people here who love you, so look after yourself for our sakes, okay?"

"I promise. Goodbye Ororo."

"Bye."

When she hung up, she grabbed her two suitcases, bag, and briefcase, shrugged a coat on, and walked down the hall to the elevators. After a ride that couldn't have been longer, the metallic doors opened to a lobby where she felt like a circus freak with everyone staring at her. Jean saw Mr. Worthington talking with Candy near the front desk and set out toward them, attempting to ignore the holes being burned into her body with each stare along the way.

Mr. Worthington saw her approach, "All set?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Nodding a goodbye toward Candy, she followed him out to the waiting limo. The ride to the private airstrip was a long and quiet one, with both backseat occupants worried sick about the same young man. The flight didn't prove to be any louder, as the silence seemed the most comforting, rather than lies of comfort and promises no one could keep.

About ten minutes before they were about to descend, one of the flight attendants came out, "Mr. Worthington, it seems there is a bit of a press issue. We tried to keep the flight as 'under the radar' as we could, but these things just get out."

The older man sighed and rubbed his temples, "I understand. We'll just have to deal with it in time, then."

The flight attendant nodded and disappeared from sight again. Once he was gone, Jean turned to Mr. Worthington confused, "Press issue?"

He sighed again, "Someone has leaked our flight to the paparazzi. Warren is a prime candidate for top eye candy, so him being...injured like this causes some celebrity hysteria. They're swarming outside and will attempt to get us to reveal anything we know."

Jean nodded, having dealt with the press on many occasions outside of Congress. She wondered how this was going to impact the whole danger scenario Ororo had told her she was worried for. She guessed it was time she used some of the skills she earned while being an X-man and kept them all safe...as safe as possible.

Just as expected, the cameras were flashing even before the doors had opened, effectively blinding anyone caught in their rays. Jean kept her head down and walked behind Mr. Worthington as fast as she could. When she saw the limo parked ahead, a quick telekinetic scan of the car proved that no bombs were attached, thank heaven!

With the exception of screaming reporters, all trying to be heard over the others, microphones being jabbed in their faces, and attempting to see through the sun of camera bulbs, the trip to the limo was safe. No all they had to do was get into the hospital in one piece as well.

As they drove and Jean looked out the window, Mr. Worthington cleared his throat and said, "You know, I _could_ always drop you off at the Worthington building and let you get some sleep before you come."

She smiled as sweetly as she could manage, "No thank you, sir. If it's all the same to you, I would appreciate being able to see him as soon as possible, once we find out what's happened."

He nodded, "I figured as much, and won't stop you. Your face may provide some comfort for him."

It wasn't long until they arrived at the hospital, unsuccessful in a futile hope of wishing for no more press. That wish was not only unsuccessful, but seemed quite laughable in the face of this swarm of insects armed with the reporting equipment. As quickly as they could, Mr. Worthington and Jean ran inside while some hospital staff worked to block the news-thirsty bugs from plaguing them more.

The woman at the front desk looked up and immediately recognized them, "He's on floor number 5, currently in surgery."

Panic shot through Jean like an electric current. They jogged to the elevator, knowing the ride couldn't have been slower if it tried. When the silver doors opened, it showed a doctor in a long white coat talking to three other men, one in a navy blue suit, one in a gray suit, and one in scrubs.

Navy Blue looked up and saw them approaching, "Ah, Mr. Worthington! I hope you had a good trip."

"As good as can be expected Mr. Hodge," Mr. Worthington sighed as he shook his hand. Mr. Hodge didn't look like he was much older than Warren, other than the lack of wings and brown hair instead of blond. "This is Jean Grey."

"Welcome to you as well, Ms. Grey," Mr. Hodge shook her hand as well. "Warren was attacked, though we don't know by who. The officer who was representing the squad who found him has only just left or he would be explaining all of this. They decided it would be safe to leave it in the hands of the lawyer."

"Found him?" Jean asked.

"Warren was found severly beaten, looking attacked by either a very powerful mutant or a large group of humans. There are no leads on who may have done it yet, however," Mr. Hodge explained with an extremely fake sorrowful demeanor.

Ignoring as much, and deciding she didn't like Mr. Hodge, she asked, "How bad was he hurt?"

"I think it's my turn to enter this conversation," the doctor announced. "I am Dr. Marcus Abbott. I'm sorry to say Warren isn't in very good condition. He has a collapsed left lung, three broken ribs, a fractured right ankle, a nasty concussion, and many, many cuts and bruises. Unfortunately, it seems they were targeting his wings."

Now it was Jean's turn to lose her ability to speak, so Mr. Worthington regained his and asked, "What do you mean 'targeted his wings'?"

The man in the gray suit stepped forward, "I'm Dr. Thomas Carter. In simple terms, I am an expert of birds. They called me in to take a look at his wings and they weren't in good condition at all. There's a little problem."

Mr. Hodge shot him a look and stepped forward, "He came to me, knowing the situation was under my authority at the moment and action couldn't wait to be taken, or Warren would have died. The risk on his life with his other injuries was great enough, let alone having unrepairable wings on it as well. I gave him the authority to...to...amputate his wings."

Jean's heart dropped to the floor and the rest of her body wasn't far behind. She collapsed into a sitting position, unable to believe what she had just heard. Did they not understand? Did they not care? Was there any hope left?

After helping her into a chair, Mr. Worthington rounded on the four men, "Why couldn't you have called me?"

Mr. Hodge feigned shock, and would have convinced Jean had she not been able to feel his thoughts, "We tried, sir, but communication wasn't working fast enough. There was nothing to be done except to take them away."

"Do you have any idea what you've done to him?" her voice was a hoarse whisper. "As much as he cursed them sometimes, those wings were his life. Now you've taken them away. You've taken his heart and soul!"

"As horrible as that is to hear, I'm sure he will thank me when he see's he's alive. Now if you lot will excuse me, I have more business to take care of," Mr. Hodge walked off, clearly angry with Jean for opposing his decision.

Dr. Abbott shook his head, "If there was anything else we could have done, I would have approved it in a heartbeat. It was the best option at the time for him to live. I regret not being able to save them, as they were very beautiful, but it's what had to happen. Now I will have Jack bring you to his room. He was just wheeled out a surgery as you arrived."

The man in scrubs motioned for Mr. Worthington and Jean to follow. When they walked in the room, it was brightly lit, just like the rest of the hospital, despite the late hour. When Jean saw him laying there on the bed on his stomach, held a little off of the bed with supports, and connected to a dozen wires and I.V.'s, a sob caught in her throat. She fell clumsily into a chair by the door, unable to move or speak.

Mr. Worthington was the exact opposite. Though was he was saying was a mumbled mess, his actions were touching. He ran to his son, careful not to jar him or the machines, let his tears run free, and touched a part of his forehead that wasn't bandaged lovingly, as if he could bring his son back from death's door with his fingertips.

After a few hours, Jean's eyes were burning from staring at her barely living lover for so long, and Mr. Worthington was standing, "Jean, as much as I hate to say it, business waits for no one. I would give anything to stay by my son's side, but I need to take care of it. I trust you to watch over him for me?"

"Of course," she nodded. "Do you think I could go and get my bags from the car?"

"I'll have someone bring them up for you. You just watch my son until he wakes, alright?"

She nodded and walked over to a couch over by the window, quickly falling asleep on its cushions. She woke with a start thinking she was hearing moaning. When Jean looked around, she saw she had. Warren was waking!

She called for the doctors who rushed in an took a look at his injuries while bringing him around as well, stating it wouldn't be good to keep him knocked out with the concussion he had sustained. After they left, Jean sat in a chair in his line of sight.

His beautiful blue eyes stared at her for a long moment before he spoke, "Jean, why does my back feel so light?"

She was so glad to hear his voice, what he said hadn't quite registered, "Pardon?"

"Jean...why does my back feel so light? It's like I can't feel my wings."

Damn! Why did they have to leave it to her to tell him? "Warren, I have to tell you something important, but I'm...not exactly sure how."

"Just do it blunt and quick, like a Band-Aid, and get this over with," the medication was clearly fogging his brain, but his natural healing factor (while not on the same level as Logan's, but still there nonetheless) was fighting to give him a clear mind.

"Okay...um, Warren...the doctors had...I mean, there was no...they couldn't...your wings are gone!" She stuttered.

He froze, and then spoke with a menace she would never have imagined, "What did you just tell me?"

"During your attack, they had targeted your wings, and had beaten them so badly there was nothing to be done to save them. They had to be amputated! I'm so sorry, Warren," Tears ran down her face as she fought to keep her voice steady. "If there was anything I could have done to stop them, I would have, but they said they couldn't communicate with us and-"

"You betrayed me."

Jean stopped her babbling rant, "B-betrayed you?"

The look he shot her could have boiled water, "You let them take my wings. You let them destroy me!"

So many tears blurred her vision she couldn't even see, "No, no! You don't understand! I didn't-"

"I understand plenty, Jean! You let them destroy me! You let them take away my life! I HAVE NOTHING NOW!"

On that last note, doctors ran in and shot something into his I.V. that made him pass out, but not before he had broken her heart into many, many tiny pieces she was sure would never fuse back together.

**And with that last cliffhanger, my apologies start. I**

** would like to thank Haruko and Kelly Greyer for the amazing support on this story so far. I apologize to you both for not updating (especially you Kelly Greyer, since I had promised you I would that night), but so MANY things have happened that I haven't had the time. I've been ill, have had TONS of homework, enough family issues to run three seasons of daytime talk shows, and writer's block beyond comprehension. I have plenty of excuses, but not enough ways to apologize for my lateness.**

**As always, reviews are not only welcomed, but encouraged. I can't guarentee that the next chapter will get put up soon, because I've been writing a sentence here and there for the entire summer to just create this chapter, but I WILL try my hardest. I hope you enjoyed the extra long chapter I attempted to give you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Another major thank you to Kelly Greyer for the review and help last chapter.**

Jean walked out of the hospital, not bothering to hide the tears flowing down her face as more cameras seemed to have joined the ones from before. She opened the door to the car and slipped inside as the driver began to pull away. The shouts of the reporters were a dull roar, muffled both by the door and her shock.

She guessed no one had gotten around to getting her bags out of the car, as when she arrived back at the Worthington building, someone was following behind her carrying them as she dragged her body through the glass doors. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jean registered pressing the buttons on the elevator to get up to the floor she knew she would be staying in.

Walking into her suite, she walked over to her bathroom, slamming the door with such a force the walls rattled. She stripped herself and stepped into the steaming spray of the shower, only to fall down, hugging her knees to her chest and back pressed up against the wall as everything fell apart. Though she was sure someone would be able to hear her loud sobs even over the shower and door, Jean continued to cry.

It felt like an eternity of listening to herself bawl before she registered a different noise. Her bathroom door had opened. As wary as her brain was of the change, she couldn't bring her body to care. She still sobbed in the puddle of the hot water. Jean vaguely registered the sounds of cabinets opening and the curtain being pulled back, but still couldn't get her body to respond.

"Oh...honey...no."

Jean both heard and felt the water shut off and felt an incredibly soft towel wrap her in a hug that arms soon followed. She couldn't even bring herself to look at who she knew it was. She just leaned her soaked head onto Ororo's chest and cried even harder.

Ororo just hummed and hugged her best friend tighter, as they had done for each other before on numerous occasions of broken hearts. Eventually Jean's weeps died out to gasps for air accompanied with little whimpers. She lifted her head to look at the woman once called a goddess holding her like she had on the few occasions Scott had broken up with her before their final break-up. Ororo just looked at her, gave her a sad smile with teary eyes, and let go to stand.

After she had helped the redhead to her feet, Ororo stood back as Jean got dressed into a pair of sweats. They two girls who were practically sisters in their actions walked out into the main part of the bedroom, where Logan was seated in a chair by the doors, watching them like the protector that he was naturally.

Jean sat on the edge of her bed so she faced Logan, and Ororo sat next to her, placing a comforting arm on the broken woman's shoulders, "Jean...what happened?"

She let out a shaky breath, "What do you know?"

"Nothing other than what we heard on the television. Once I had hung up the phone from calling you, I spoke with Charles. He allowed Logan and I to take one of the mini-jets to come and check on you and Warren...but mainly you."

"Me?"

"Warren is in the very skilled hands of the best doctors money can buy. We knew Warren was going to be okay, but you?" Ororo had closed her eyes to shake her head for exaggeration, but when she opened them, she saw the redhead about to cry again. "Oh honey! What happened?"

She swallowed down, not without difficulty, another round of sobs, "He...he's not okay. Not completely."

Logan spoke up, "What do you mean 'not completely'?"

"T-they...t-t-took his wings!" she confessed, her voice cracking.

Ororo gasped, "They must have had a reason! Surely he'll understand that when he comes out of the shock."

Jean's emerald eyes met the chocolate-brown ones of her longest friend and whispered, " 'Ro, he...he blames me."

Pity filled the white-haired beauty's expression, "No, no, no. There's no _way_ Warren would blame you! Like I said, Jeannie, it's just shock! Once he's had time to think about it, everything will be okay, you'll see!"

As she laid back on the bed and tried to fall asleep, Jean couldn't help thinking how wrong Ororo was.

**Not very long, not very good, and I promise the next chapter is going to be another boring-ish, short one as well. I apologize for that, but I hope the twists that I have planned help rectify some of that. Again, some of you major X-men fans (I'm talking comic book or original t.v. series fans) will know exactly where I'm planning to head, but I hope some of my more non-canon twists still keep the story interesting.**

**Regardless of what's coming up, please still drop me a review and tell me what you thought!**


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